Suske and Wiske have quite a lot of friends, whom we all came to know and love over the years. Aunt Sidonia, Jerom and professor Barabas are often a part of their adventures, but this time, it’s only Lambik who is coming along. Together with Suske and Wiske, he gets dragged under water to Humidus, an underwater city where human-like creatures live.

Lambik, Suske and Wiske are on a new adventure in the Atlantic. They rented a boat, and while Wiske is sunbathing on deck, Lambik and Suske are diving to the Bacardicolla, a ship that sank to the bottom of the sea many, many years ago. Lambik is hoping to find solid gold, or something at least as good as that, such as rum, as the ship was known for transporting huge amounts of liquor. When they find a chest and bring it on board their ship, Lambik gets overexcited, but as expected, there is no gold to be found.

What they didn’t expect, is that they didn’t only bring a chest on board, but that an intruder made his way to the boat with them. They only realize when Wiske’s doll Schanulleke goes missing, and they see someone jump into the water. Wiske is furious, and decides to dive into the sea, to get her Schanulleke back. Suske and Lambik follow, but Wiske gets caught by an octopus. Lucky for her, some kind of strange being saves her, but it gets hurt itself in doing so. The creature looks like a woman-like fish, and Suske and Wiske take her up to the boat to take care of her. She soon feels better, and she asks Suske and Wiske to follow her back into the water, to the city where she lives, Humidus, as her friend really needs their help. It all sound a bit strange, but our friends decide to follow, and a new adventure soon begins.

Suske and Wiske have been on many adventures before, yet there keeps being a variety to their stories. One time they travel in time, the other they travel the world, or they meet new creatures. This time, it’s the latter, and it proves to be quite a fun story, to be honest. Because not all characters take part in this story, it doesn’t go too many different ways, which allows the main story to develop more than you might expect. Nonetheless, it still says a comic book that is popular among younger people, so a predictable plot twist here and there is unavoidable, but not bothersome we found.

Illustration wise, there is not that much to say, as you just get treated to the same old characters we already know for so long, be it in a more modern look. The coloring is bright and appealing, and Humidus certainly speaks to the imagination.

Conclusion

Suske en Wiske #342 De Zwarte Zwevers is a fun comic book that presents a story with a bit more depth than usual, not only because it is set under water, but also simply because there aren’t as many characters as usual, so there is more room for the main story to develop. It’s another nice addition to an ever growing collection.